Genomic and Chemical Decryption of the Bacteroidetes Phylum for Its Potential to Biosynthesize Natural Products
Stephan Brinkmann, Michael Kurz, Maria A. Patras, Christoph Hartwig, Michael Marner, Benedikt Leis, André Billion, Yolanda Kleiner, Armin Bauer, Luigi Toti, Christoph Pöverlein, Peter Hammann, Andreas Vilcinskas, Jens Glaeser, Marius Spohn, Till F. Schäberle
Abstract
The development of pipelines for anti-infectives to be applied in plant, animal, and human health management are dried up. However, the resistance development against compounds in use calls for new lead structures. To fill this gap and to enhance the probability of success for the discovery of new bioactive natural products, microbial taxa currently underinvestigated must be mined. This study investigates the potential within the bacterial phylum Bacteroidetes. A combination of omics-technologies revealed taxonomical hot spots for specialized metabolites. Genome- and metabolome-based analyses showed that the phylum covers a new chemical space compared with classic natural product producers. Members of the Bacteroidetes may thus present a promising bioresource for future screening and isolation campaigns.